Russian football league is criticized for bringing a bear to stadium

The Russian football league has been criticized ahead of World Cup after a trained bear was forced to perform tricks before the match between Mashuk-KMV and Angusht. The bizarre footage has been criticised by animal rights charities, with Elisa Allen, director of animal welfare charity Peta, calling it 'utterly out of touch'. She said: 'In addition to being inhumane, using a bear as a captive servant to deliver a football is downright dangerous. 'The bear is the symbol of Russia, so we hope the country's people will show some compassion and national pride and stop abusing them. Common decency should compel the league to pull this stunt.'